Glossary of Forensic DNA Terms Definitions are from Butler, J.M. (2010) Fundamentals of Forensic DNA Typing. San Diego: Elsevier Academic Press and other sources. 3’ (“three prime”): refers to the end of a DNA molecule bearing a free Analytical threshold: a RFU level determined to be appropriate for use hydroxyl group on the 3’ carbon of the sugar ring in the PCR/STR DNA typing process; a minimum threshold for data 5’ (“five prime”): refers to the end of a DNA molecule bearing a free comparison that is identified in each laboratory through validation hydroxyl group on the 5’ carbon of the sugar ring; a DNA sequence is studies typically read from the 5’ to 3’ end Artifact: any non-allelic product of the amplification process (e.g., 9947A: a cell line derived from a human female; DNA from this cell stutter or non-template addition), anomaly of the detection process (e.g., line is used as a positive control in some commercial DNA test kits pull-up or spike), or a by-product of primer synthesis (e.g., dye blob) ABI: Applied Biosystems Inc.; an instrument and reagent manufacturing that may be observed in an electropherogram; may complicate company based in South San Francisco, California that is now called interpretation of a DNA profile when they cannot be distinguished from ThermoFisher Scientific actual allele(s) data ABI Genetic Analyzer: a capillary electrophoresis instrument sold by Audit: evaluation of a laboratory based on a set of criteria established Applied Biosystems and widely used throughout the forensic DNA by an outside, qualified agency usually for establishing accreditation community since its introduction in 1995; an ABI 310 uses a single Autosome: a chromosome not involved in sex determination; the diploid capillary filled with a viscous polymer solution to separate DNA human genome consists of 46 chromosomes, 22 pairs of autosomes, and molecules based on their relative size; laboratories often use a multi- one pair of sex chromosomes (the X and Y chromosomes). capillary instrument such as the ABI 3130 (4-capillaries), ABI 3130xl Base pair (bp): two complementary nucleotides joined by hydrogen (16-capillaries), ABI 3500 (8-capillaries), or ABI 3500xl (24-capillaries) bonds; base pairing occurs between A and T and between G and C Genetic Analyzer Base sequence: the order of nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule; Accreditation: the formal process by which a laboratory is evaluated, typically read from the 5’-end to the 3’-end with respect to established criteria, for its competence to perform a Bayesian approach: defines the probability of an event as the degree of specified kind of measurement; the evaluation takes place through an belief in the truth of a proposition that asserts it will happen audit by an outside, qualified agency and helps provides confidence that Bin: a range of sizes established empirically that is used to establish the laboratory meets minimum professional standards for general allele designation for length-based differences in STR alleles operations Buccal swab: a relatively non-invasive technique of scrapping the inside Accuracy: the degree of agreement or conformity of a measured value of a mouth with a cotton swab or similar collection device to collect with its actual (true) value cells from the inner cheek lining; a common method for collecting and Adventitious DNA: contaminating DNA that unintentionally becomes preserving samples for DNA testing from known individuals amplified along with the intentional template DNA obtained from Capillary electrophoresis (CE): an electrophoretic technique for evidence or reference samples separating DNA molecules by their size based on migration through a Adventitious match: an association of an evidence DNA profile to the narrow glass capillary tube filled with a liquid polymer profile of a person who is not the true donor of that profile; this situation Cell: the basic building block of an organism; humans have may arise when the DNA profile contains information from a limited approximately 100 trillion cells in their body, most containing DNA number of loci (e.g., from a damaged DNA sample) that are insufficient Chelex extraction: a method of removing DNA from cells involving to distinguish the profiles of two different individuals Chelex resin; since one step of the method involves boiling, the Allele: one of two or more versions of a genetic sequence at a particular extracted DNA is single-stranded location (a locus) in the genome; typically, multiple alleles are possible Chromosome: the structure by which hereditary information is with STR markers physically transmitted from one generation to the next Allele drop-in: allelic peak(s) in an electropherogram that are not CODIS: Combined DNA Index System, which under the direction of reproducible across multiple independent amplification events; also a the FBI Laboratory, is the software architecture that runs the U.S. hypothesis/postulate for the observation of one or more allelic peaks in national DNA database an electropherogram that are inconsistent with the assumed/known CODIS loci: an established set of STR loci required for inclusion of a contributor(s) to a sample DNA profile at the national level in CODIS; originally the core set Allele drop-out: failure of an otherwise amplifiable allele to produce a involved 13 STRs but after January 1, 2017, 20 core STRs will be signal above the analytical threshold because the allele was not present required for entry at the national level or was not present in sufficient quantity in the aliquot that underwent Cold hit: an association made between a crime scene DNA profile and a PCR amplification DNA profile found on a DNA database in the absence of any prior Allele frequency: the number of times that an allele appears in a data set investigative leads; this association may be to another crime scene DNA is the absolute frequency; the proportion of a particular allele among the profile or to a profile from a known individual chromosomes carried by individuals in a population Combined Probability of Inclusion (CPI): the product of the Allelic ladder: in STR testing, a measurement calibration tool, probabilities of inclusion calculated for each locus; the probability of consisting of the most commonly observed alleles, used for assigning an inclusion at each locus estimates the probability that a randomly allele designation to a peak in an electropherogram at a particular selected, unrelated individual is not excluded from being a source of the genetic locus DNA mixture profile and is calculated as the square of the sum of the Amelogenin: a commonly used sex-typing genetic marker because the relative frequencies of the observed alleles at the locus; sometimes gene, which codes for tooth enamel, occurs on both the X and Y referred to as Random Man Not Excluded (RMNE) chromosomes; the X-chromosome region amplified in commercial STR Complementary sequences: nucleic acid base sequences that form a kits is 6 bases shorter than the Y-chromosome region such that female double-stranded structure by matching base pairs; the complementary (X,X) samples result in a single peak while males (X.Y) have two peaks sequence to G-T-A-C is C-A-T-G Amplification: an increase in the number of copies of a specific DNA Complete profile: a full DNA result with values being obtained from all fragment; can be in vivo or in vitro; in forensic DNA testing attempted loci laboratories, this refers to the use of the PCR technique to produce many Complex mixture: DNA profile resulting from a sample containing more copies of DNA (typically alleles) at specific genetic loci three or more contributors often having only a small amount of DNA Amplicon: the product of polymerase chain reaction DNA amplification from at least one of the contributors Analyst: an individual trained and qualified to report DNA results Concordance: obtaining the same value when testing multiple times Glossary of Forensic DNA Terms Definitions are from Butler, J.M. (2010) Fundamentals of Forensic DNA Typing. San Diego: Elsevier Academic Press and other sources. Conservative: an assignment of the weight of evidence that is believed are lower in signal intensity, and can be characteristically sized in each to favor the defense color channel Consensus profile: the resulting DNA profile made up from the list of Electropherogram: graphic representation of the separation of alleles that are repeated or reproduced a specified number of times when molecules by electrophoresis in which data appear as “peaks” along a a DNA extract is divided into several replicate samples that are line; the format in which DNA typing results are presented with the X- amplified concurrently axis displaying the observed alleles in order of increasing size and the Contamination: exogenous DNA or other biological material in a DNA Y-axis recording the relative amount of DNA detected based on the sample, PCR reaction, or item of evidence; the exogenous DNA or fluorescent signal collected during analysis biological material could be present before the sample is collected or Electrophoresis: a technique in which molecules are separated by their introduced during collection or testing of the sample velocity in an electric field Controls: samples of known types, run in parallel with experimental, Elimination database: collection of DNA profiles held in a searchable reference, or evidence samples, that are used to demonstrate that a format whose access/role/activities are deemed to be a potential DNA procedure is working correctly contamination